


A World That We Design

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Series: What's Done is Done [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Blood and Injury, Gen, Hylian Sign Language, M/M, Past Violence, Post-Breath of the Wild, Selectively Mute Link, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-27 02:11:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14415396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: In which a wolf remembers and accidentally gives his husband a heart-attack.Prequel to Let It Burn So Bright





	1. Echo of The Hero

**Author's Note:**

  * For [APJ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/APJ/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, APJ brought up a really good point about how Sidon would've reacted to a reborn, renewed Link and I got a pleasant surprise in the form of the Muses responding to that. 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

Link shot up in bed, his hand reaching up to clutch at his chest, ragged gasping inhales slowly giving way to deep, even breaths. 

His Aunt bustled into the room at that, her soft brown eyes taking in the way the sweat soaked the sheets and tangled them near his feet. 

"Another nightmare, Link?" 

:I think,: Link paused, ran the awful dream over in his mind again, the strong desperation he'd been feeling throughout and said, :I think it's a memory.: 

"They're so awful when you describe them. How could they be memories?" Aunt Hilda asked as she offered him a cool cloth, turning to open the curtains to allow sunlight to spill into his room. 

:Each one comes with a new scar.: When he peeled his hand away, it was covered in the faint sheen of blood that accompanied the dreams. 

He scrubbed at the blood and himself, careful with the brand new scar on his chest. 

"Well, maybe..." 

:They correspond to the injuries of the Hero, _exactly where they got them_ in the stories old Rhoam tells.: Link signed when she wanted to argue her position that it was coincidence. :That is _beyond_ coincidence.: 

It had worked when Link was eight; he was seventeen now and it no longer made sense to him. 

"Link, there's something your Uncle and I need to tell you..." Hilda's shoulder dropped at that, the ache in her voice making Link kick off the covers and take her hand in his. "Get dressed, okay? We'll have that talk after breakfast." 

:And herding the goats out of the barn.: 

"That too, darling, that too."

* * *

By the time the sun rose fully, Link trooped back into the house, smelling of sweat, goat, cow and blood from yet another set of scars from the vision he'd had in the field. 

He didn't envy the Hero one bit if they'd had to deal with getting all of those wounds and then slowly healing from them the way he did. 

"Again?" Uncle Lon sighed, wetted a cloth and tugged Link's tunic up to dab at the new scars. "At this rate, you'll be as scarred as the Hero without having done any of their deeds." 

Link let him, since he couldn't reach them. :It's exhausting. I think they're occurring in order.: 

"Of the stories? Come to think of it, we might not be able to help you if that keeps up." Uncle Lon murmured with a furrow of his salt-n-pepper eyebrows. "The later stories get more and more dangerous and I'm assuming that the Hero didn't let it stand for long." 

:I don't think so either.: 

"Breakfast!"

* * *

Link was dazed, using Epona as a pillow as he worked through the fact that he'd been an orphan. 

He'd had a family before Hilda and Lon had taken him in. 

Victims of a Lynel attack, had been the consensus, seeing as how there was nothing left of the wagon but shreds of cloth, blood and a screaming toddler. They thought a passing adventurer had taken care of the Lynel, seeing as how it's items had been scattered throughout the field next to the damaged wagon. 

Lon made his way out, offering Link a sandwich as the sun rose higher in the sky. 

They sat side-by-side after they finished and then Uncle Lon spoke, his voice gruff but sincere. "I thought you were a blessing from Hylia, you know, a gift when we found out we couldn't have any of our own. Both of us tried, even with other people, but it never took. So you were ours, our Link to Hylia. But she made you for a purpose, son, and I don't think it's herdin' goats. Come your birthday, you'll be free to go." 

:What? Why?: Link signed quickly, his movements jerky as he did so. 

"Figure out what it is that's got you like that an' then come back to tell your old man, huh? I'll get ya a sturdy shield and a few swords. You can cook at the stables; I know Hilda's taught you a lot. You'll be takin' Epona cause she ain't listened to nobody else in years." Uncle Lon continued. "You'll have a job here, a place here if ya still want it after seeing the great, wide world." 

Link engulfed Uncle Lon in a hug, his face buried under Lon's scruffy chin as he snuggled close. 

"Alright, alright, you birthday isn't _that_ close. Now c'mon, we gotta go chase those damn goats back in." 

:Thank you.: 

"... You're welcome, son."

* * *

Aunt Hilda pressed a green tunic into his hands the morning after his birthday celebration, which they'd had the day before. "This is the only thing left of your father. I washed it and I think it'll fit but I wanted you to have something of theirs."

Link tugged it on over the cotton shirt he'd gotten from one of the ranch-hands the day before. Something in him seemed to settle when the tunic was belted over the shirt. 

Uncle Lon presented him with the promised shield, the swords and a bow, the blue-n-white scheme of it somehow familiar. "We found the bow near what must've been your mother. Now, we don't have much skill but I asked the tanner to make you a quiver." 

He handed over a quiver with a full complement of arrows. 

:Arrows?: 

"I made those. Your Aunt fletched them; I'm sure she'll teach ya how but you c'n also buy them from traveling merchants." Lon reassured. 

He hugged his Uncle and then his Aunt, swiping at his tears as he mounted his horse and kneed her into taking the road out of the village. 

After his sniffles petered out, Link looked around with interest. He turned Epona onto the larger road and spotted two people being harassed by two red monsters, the screams causing him to dismount and draw one of the swords, the grip of it as familar as the reins in his hand. 

Link launched forward, swung the sword and yelped when it shattered in his hands. He dove for the monster's dropped weapon and beat it until it died then moved onto the next, the explosions signaling their defeat. 

He collected the items before he realized what he was doing. 

"Oh thank you! My sister and I go hunting for mushrooms. Did you want to join us? We're selling them in the next town over, near the Stable." 

"You're bleeding!" The other woman yelped, pointing at his forearm. 

:I'm fine.: he signed absently, digging in his pouch for the extra bandages Hilda thoughtfully packed. 

"I'm sorry, I don't speak that." 

"... I'm fine." He whispered. "It's... Hylian... Sign." 

"Oh! You're mostly mute then?" 

Link nodded in agreement as he wrapped his arm. "... The wounds... aren't from... the fight." 

"You're looking for the cause?" 

He gave a thumbs up and then finished tying it off with his teeth and one hand. 

"Well, you can sell those monster parts if you're low on rupees. Say, you're pretty handy with that weapon. Do you mind accompanying us?" 

"I'll join you." He managed before his throat hurt. 

"How about you teach us Sign? That doesn't sound like you talk much." 

:Sure.: he signed while mouthing the words. :Do you two have horses?: 

"Yeah, they're further ahead. The Bokoblins scared them forward." 

:Bokoblins?: Link mouthed, having to think about the sign for them. 

"The red monsters you killed." 

:oh.:

* * *

Link traveled with them for nearly a year and a half. He learned the length and breadth of the world, coming across monsters and people of all sorts until they stopped just short of the marshes at the Wetland Stable. 

"We don't go to the Zora's Domain too often but if you want, there are healers there. They might know more about your condition than we've been able to discover." Kilu, the older sister, suggested lightly. 

"There's too many monsters for us without an adventurer like you to help out but you can get through just fine." Nauki offered even as she patted his shoulder. "Good luck, Link." 

:You don't want to come with?: he asked, his foot nearly touching the edge of the marsh. 

"If you make it there and back, you know where our next stop is." Kilu teased gently. 

:My hometown.: Link smiled and both sisters giggled as they departed with a wave. 

"Yup!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is welcome; unsolicited criticism is not.


	2. The Hero Rises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly wasn't sure where to end the chapter so I picked a spot to give you all this one! 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

Link scowled as he made his way through the Zora's Domain, his blade practically singing from how many Lizalfos he killed on his way. He picked up Shock Arrows and then at a bridge proclaiming itself Luto Bridge, a Moblin stood in his way. 

He fired two of them directy between it's eyes out of sheer frustration, his lips peeled back from his teeth in a snarl. 

When the Moblin hit the bridge with a wet thud, so did Link, a scream of agony yanked from his throat as another wound, worse than any before it, ripped through him.

* * *

Link floated into conciousness, a familiar voice murmuring to someone who held him to their chest. 

"-on, you can't keep healing him. You haven't eaten in almost a week and—Oh." Bazz, sounding worried and only one grip would be this gentle, even to a complete stranger. 

Sidon, his Sidon; the husband he'd been married to for years, though his mind refused to supply him with a number. 

The memories of the wounds, of who and what he was flooded back until he gasped and shot up. 

Blue met gold, the sight that greeted Link a more than welcome one. 

Sidon's brow had a new scar and he'd grown in the hundred years Link hadn't been needed, the biceps cradling him a wonder. 

"Bazz, where did you find him? I feel... I feel as though I know..." Sidon's voice rumbled through his chest, the deeper sound a new experience. 

Link listened to the thud of Sidon's heart as Bazz answered, "I found him on Luto Bridge, Your Majesty." 

Link tried to sit up and hissed lowly in pain, the dull throb of healing wounds causing him to remember just how he'd gotten there. 

"Don't do that, adventurer." Sidon murmured as he gently but firmly pressed Link back into the cradle of his arm. "You're heavily injured and in need of a great deal of care, though thankfully the worst of it has passed for you. My name is Sidon, you're in the center of the Zora's Domain. This is Bazz. May we know your name?" 

:Link.: The stricken look that crossed Sidon's face for a brief moment hurt Link to his core but that was still his name, even a full century later. :I'm from Lon-Lon Ranch down the way. I thought I could make it to the Domain.: 

"Straight from the Ranch?" Sidon's tone approached parental but he restrained himself. 

Link gave a faint smile and signed more while Sidon carried him to the Infirmary on foot, passing their bed that looked slept in. :I traveled for a year and a day with some traveling merchants as part of my first adventure. The Domain was my last stop before home.: 

"Then why...? You had far too many wounds to have traveled through the Domain like that." Bazz questioned, the slight wrinkles at the corners of his eyes telling his age more clearly than anything else. 

:They've been like that my whole life. My wounds always match those of the...:

He knew the exact moment Sidon connected the dots and finished his sentence. "Hylian Hero. Those must be the last of the wounds, from the time of the Calamity." The scars Sidon knew intimately because he'd kissed every last one their first night together, praise spilling from his lips after each of the kisses. "I am sorry you had to suffer each of them. I knew him." 

:Him?: 

"Everyone assumes the Hero to be the gender they desire, never what he actually was. I knew him, a hundred years ago, and he was... very dear to me. If you're here now, a new threat must be on the horizon." Sidon murmured as he settled Link into a soft, soft waterbed. 

:A threat? How?: 

"A Hero only appears when there's a need, Link. I'll leave you in the capable hands of my... friend." Sidon walked away slowly but the tightening across his shoulders said he wanted to turn and ask if Link remembered anything at all. "There is something I must do."

Link sank into the waiting bed and thought to himself that he'd give Sidon about a week before his former husband asked him if he remembered anything.

* * *

To Sidon's credit, time had given him a new lease on patience; he lasted a whole three weeks, give or take a few of the glow stones that marked time in the Domain. 

"Ah, Link?" Sidon approached him, a small basket of fish dangling from his fingers. That was usually a sign that a Zora was interested in more but he didn't think Sidon would pressure him. "Do you like fish?" 

:It's good. Why?: 

"I'm giving this to you as a sign of friendship and only friendship; that basket has multiple meanings for Zora." Sidon explained as he offered it. His lips parted, as though he wanted to say more but stopped short, a slow exhale the sole concession to the movement he'd made. 

:Oh. What did you mean by a Hero only appears when there's a need?: Link accepted them to see some of the tension leave Sidon's broad red shoulders. 

"The Hero comes forth when Hyrule, all of Hyrule, is in danger. He appeared two hundred and forty years ago, in response to the Calamity known as Ganon. I take it you've heard versions of the tale?" Sidon murmured, the melancholy undertone not one Link was used to hearing. 

:Yes.: He tucked the fish away and leaned on the balcony overlooking the sparkling city. 

"He nearly died of his wounds the first time he faced the Calamity. So did you, for that matter, having recieved those same wounds. You nearly drained my healing ability as well as what little control I have over it." Right when Link's hands lifted, Sidon countered it with, "Do not apologize, Link, I wanted to heal you. You remind me of him." 

:How so?: Link asked.

"You share his name and his silence. My-He was mostly mute but he made his feelings known if he couldn't communicate via sign." The tiny, fond smile nearly broke Link's heart. "He may not have spoken much but you knew exactly what he meant." 

:You sound like you were very close.: he remarked carefully. 

"He was the best Hylian I knew." Sidon glanced at him and asked, "I... I don't suppose you remember the Domain? Perhaps... myself?" 

Link remembered some things but he had the feeling that there was more to his memory. :There are some things but I'm afraid that what you're asking and what I know don't match.: 

"My apologies, it's a habit." The respectful nod Sidon gave him as he left somehow hurt all the more for the memories he couldn't see. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

* * *

He awoke one morning, halfway between sleep and dream when he remembered leaving his Zora Armor here in the Domain—and his Sheikah Slate—in their shared closet. 

He and Sidon had been married for a hundred and forty wonderful, wild years. 

They'd seen so much, _done_ so much that Link knew he needed to see his husband immediately. 

Link flung back the covers, shoved his feet into his boots and left his weapons at his bedside as he made his way through the Domain by memory alone. 

Sidon rested on his throne, his gaze locked on a shivering Zora with dark claw-marks down their side. "You say a monster did it? Where?" 

"Near Inogo Bridge, o King. A beast with a horn and a long tongue and... sharp claws." 

"Lizalfos. Please seek treatment, Finlason, from the Infirmary." Finlason limped out if the throne room with help from a familiar blue Zora that had run the shop. "Link?" 

Link strode forward with a purpose and he heard Bazz gasp as he recognized that particular walk. 

He gave Sidon the warmest smile he'd given in years, signed very clearly and fondly. :I remember you. I remember long nights and short ones; I remember how you used to bury your face in my neck; how we fought together, how we danced together in the water after dark.: 

Sidon didn't need to tell anyone to get out as he sank to his knees in front of Link, joyful tears spilling from golden eyes. 

:I remember the Zora I married, King Sidon. I remember when I told him that my memories take time to return but if they do, when they do; I will know him as surely as the sun rises, as the moon sets, as the waterfall roars.: 

Link met him half-way with a kiss, both of them panting as they pulled apart. 

"I thought I'd have to start from scratch." Sidon whispered as he buried his face against Link's shoulder, "I wouldn't have minded." 

:I know.: 

Link held his husband close and sobbed. Meeting Sidon again had been an unexpected though welcome boon granted by Hylia.

For all that he was renewed, Link knew that he was only here to face Ganon, in whatever form he'd become in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is welcome; unsolicited criticism is not.


	3. A Hero's Work is Never Done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to those who read this! I'm gonna switch gears and return to Let It Burn So Bright but this was what the Muses wanted at the time. 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

When Bazz poked his head in, along with Rivan, they found a sight that had been gone for a century; Link in Sidon's lap with his legs kicked up over the arm rest. 

Link was tracing over Sidon's new scars with a concerned look, the bow-calloused fingers lingering on the latest stretching from Sidon's shoulder to just above his hip. 

:Where'd you get that one?: 

"The Lynel made it's way down from Shatterback Point and I met it halfway to the Domain. It wasn't an easy fight, nor was it glamorous." He replied.

Link's hand paused and he asked, he thought, somewhat casually, :Did you kill it?: 

"Yes, Link, and don't even think about going up there before you're ready again." Sidon chided lightly as he traced over one of the scars Link had inherited from his past lives. 

It matched a certain set of teeth and it made both of them giggle when he brushed over it. 

:Only because you asked; not because I'm too weak to take it head-on.: He huffed out. 

"Of course, most beloved. Your tenacity would have gotten you through the Domain as well, had your past not caught up to you, I'm sure." His husband agreed. 

:Are... Are we still married?: 

"Wh-Yes, Link, we're still married if you want." 

:Yes. Good, because...: Link whispered the rest in Sidon's ear and his husband flushed a bright blue that made him crack a rogueish grin.

It was when Sidon hefted him up and murmured, "You'd better make good on that promise, Link," that he felt like he'd finally come home.

* * *

Link didn't want to leave but now that he had the Zora Armor, his Sheikah Slate and his memory back, he knew he had to at least return to the Ranch. 

"You'll be back though? Just to check in, while you're facing Ganon this time." Sidon asked as he held Link close. 

:Like that's even a question, now that I've found you again; of course I will. I made a promise to the man who raised me and I intend to keep it. It doesn't mean that I love you any less but that I love him as my father.: he responded. 

"I understand. Ah, Link?" 

"Mmm?" Link paused in snuggling his way further into Sidon's chest at his husband's hesitant question. 

"I set up a betrothal while you were gone, with one of the Zora who live near Lurelin Village. She's Hylian friendly and you've met before. Dunma should be here soon and-" 

:Rivan's daughter?: Link inquired, a flash of purple and white coming up at the name. 

"You _do_ remember her. Yes, we agreed some time ago that if Dunma wished and if... if the hero didn't appear for a century, we would be wed." Sidon sounded so defeated that Link pulled his husband down for a brief forehead press and a kiss. 

:Sidon, you're only doing what you think is right for your people. If you need pups, then I'm not going to stand in your way if you want to marry Dunma. Does she have training if she needs to take your place?: 

"Oh, Tula and Tona took it upon themselves to create a school for the female Zora who wished to pursue me after an appropriate period of mourning had passed. Most of them ended up training with me but Dunma... Dunma understood that I might not love her the same way I love you." His husband offered, the dry start softening as he spoke of Dunma. "She accepted that as a fact whereas the others brushed you aside. It's a decent match and one that we both know will work, despite not being fully invested in one another." 

:What do you mean, not fully invested?: He prodded carefully. 

"While I have you, she's been yearning after a Gerudo treasure hunter for decades now; her name's Calisa." came the absent-minded reply. 

Link snorted and then laughed and then shook with silent giggles. :Calisa was fond of me, last I checked. I'm into you, you're into me, Dunma's into Calisa and Calisa's into me; I'm sorry for laughing but I found it funny.: 

"Well, full circle, I suppose." Sidon chuckled as he held Link close.

* * *

A piercing whistle echoed in the morning air, Link calling for Epona and swinging up on her as she thundered to a halt. He leaned in the saddle and Sidon met him with a sweet kiss. 

"Wander to your heart's content, Link," Sidon murmured after they parted, still sharing each others' breath. 

:I'll be back. It's a short trip.: he mentioned. 

"As you say, most beloved." The gentle tug of cream-colored lips upward into a smile was a rewarding sight all on it's own. 

:Besides, I'm the guest of honor at yours and Dunma's marriage. I have to be there.: Link teased gently. He clucked his tongue and Epona trotted forward, Link turning to wave until Sidon was out of sight. 

Traveling down the same road nearly a year later, it's obvious to anyone that Link sat lighter in the saddle, his grip on the reins one-handed as he rode. 

He galloped Epona after a while, his mare happy to have her head set loose. 

Link slowly pulled her in when he smelled smoke, dismounting around a curve to see Lon whittling next to the entrance of Lon-Lon Ranch. He snuck back to Epona and rode her up to the entrance. 

"The Ranch is closed after sundown—Link?!" 

He gave Uncle Lon a cheeky wave as he dismounted, grunting when Lon hugged him hard enough for the air to leave his lungs. Link tapped repeatedly on Lon's shoulder and heaved in a breath as his Uncle pulled back. 

"I'm sorry son, it's just that you've been gone and I wasn't sure if ya were comin' back or how you were doin'..." 

:Guess I should've sent more letters, huh?: he signed with a wry grin. 

"Well, Hilda did make more than usual for tonight's dinner... Mother's intuition, I think." Uncle Lon mumbled as he gathered up Epona's trailing reins to lead both of them to the lit-up house.

* * *

After dinner, he found Lon sitting against the side of the house and wrapping arrow heads into shafts. 

"So, you ever figure it out?" 

:Do you remember when you said the Hero wouldn't stand for the evils told in the stories?: Link answered, picking up an empty arrow shaft and spinning it between his calloused fingers. 

"I do." 

:I'm the Hero.: 

"Son-" He looked over, feeling the weight of every century and every past life. "Oh, my son, I never wanted that for you." 

:I know.: 

"Can I do anything?" Uncle Lon asked, slinging a familiar arm over Link's shoulders. 

:Sort of? You see, there's this wedding...:

* * *

Hilda, Link and Lon all stood as witnesses for Sidon and Dunma's marriage along with Finley, Tula and Tona. 

Dunma pulled Link off to the side as Sidon warmly greeted Link's parents, for all intents and purposes. 

"The last thing I want is to interfere with your marriage—" She started and Link held up a hand. 

" _You're helping him._ " Link vocalized, much to her surprise. " _You're able to give... Sidon... things I cannot._ " 

"Aren't we at a stand-off then?" Dunma chuckled softly. "Here I am trying to reassure the legendary King Consort and he's the one reassuring me." 

:A relationship is built upon compromise and a lot of work.: He continued and she nodded in agreement. :I'll offer you tips on how to rile our husband if you'll let me be their Uncle.: 

Dunma's eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled. "Deal." 

:You're welcome, Queen Consort.: 

"Thank you, King Consort." 

Both of them burst out laughing at that, a secret smile shared between them. 

Whatever awaited Link, he had the support of his family, his husband and...

He had a gut feeling that he had the support of a princess he'd yet to meet this time around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is welcome; unsolicited criticism is not.


End file.
